After I posted my latest story on GamecockCentral.com (read it here) some early responses on the message boards were emailed to me. I have reposted them here. Please spread these to every Gamecock fan that you know is going to the game Saturday.

sclaw03 says:

Great article. This Saturday every Gamecock fan in attendance needs to do everything phusically possible to affirmatively show support for Garcia. That means cheering for him, chanting his name, making signs, etc. As fans a lot of times we have the "what have you done for me lately" attitude when deciding how intensely we should support a player or coach, and expect them to always pick us up. Well, now it's time for us to pick up one of our own, especially when it's a player who has recently lost a loved one, and has unfortunately spent the better part of the last 5 yrs being used mostly as a punching bag by the local media. Maybe a little fan support will help him get his mojo back.

savannah gamecock says:

What would happen Saturday if all gamecock fans when the team takes the field begin chanting "Stephen-Stephen"? Yes, Stephen can play better, we know that and he wants to play better - we should know that too. This kid needs a pick-me-up and I think a cheer for Stephen on Saturday would be a good first step, not because he necessarily deserves it - but because he needs it. Where would you and I be if all we got was what we "deserve"? I thank God I don't always get what I deserve. I'm thankful for God's "mercy".

Please spread these all around. How awesome would it be if seventy-five thousand folks were chanting Stephen! Stephen! Stephen! at the start of the game? Seriously. Instead of allowing the media to influence his confidence, let's FORCE the crowd to influence it in the RIGHT DIRECTION!

From coach to comedian: Marty Simpson is a former USA Today high school All-American and collegiate Academic All-Conference player for USC who scored the Gamecocks' first 6 points in the SEC. During 8 years as a high school varsity coach, Simpson led his team to the state finals and saw one player advance to set an NFL rookie record. Simpson now divides his time between his family, running a multimedia company named Blue-Eyed Panda and getting the same pre-game jitters by performing stand-up comedy nationwide.